Hegemony is the way that the dominant group can maintain power and control over subordinate groups. Hegemony is also known as a general agreement. This agreement is that there is always an ongoing struggle for the dominant class to win support so that they may maintain dominance. The way to win this support is "through strategies of moral and intellectual leadership," (50). The idea through culture hegemony is for the higher class to get the lower classes to agree by getting them consent and accept their values. Hegemony is greatly represented through dominant idelogies which are usually used in mass media. some examples would include women are the better parent, the police are always right, and the poor are lazy and deserve their hardships.
Jackson, G. A. (2010). Popular Culture and Hegemony [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from Https:bb.utsa.edu/webct/urw/lc5122011.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebet
Hegemony is the political, economic, ideological or cultural power exerted by a dominant group over other groups regardless of the explicit consent of the latter, examples include: Churches and media organizations that constantly distribute information to the public. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hegemony Great video from youtube, but the audio is unavailable due to copyright reasons
"Hegemony" was most likely derived from the Greek egemonia, whose root is egemon, meaning "leader, ruler, often in the sense of a state other than his own" (Williams, Keywords 144). Since the 19th century "hegemony" commonly has been used to indicate "political predominance, usually of one state over another" (Williams, Keywords 144). According to Perry Anderson's "The Antinomies of Antonio Gramsci," "hegemony" acquired a specifically Marxist character in its use (as "gegemoniya") This sense of hegemony, as articulated by Lenin, referred to the leadership exercised by the proletariat over the other exploited classes:" As the only consistently revolutionary class of contemporary society, [the proletariat] must be the leader in the struggle of the whole people for a fully democratic revolution, in the struggle of all the working and exploited people against the oppressors and exploiters" (qtd. in Anderson 17).
Pop art is an artistic movement that is a rejection of abstract expressionism and aims to return to figurative art while incorporating themes and techniques from mass culture.
Pop art is an art movement that emerged in the mid 1950s in Britain and in the late 1950s in the United States Pop art challenged tradition by asserting that an artist's use of the mass-produced visual commodities of popular culture is contiguous with the perspective of Pop of fine art removes the material from its context and isolates the object, or combines it with other objects, for contemplation. The concept of pop art refers not as much to the art itself as to the attitudes that led to it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_art
pop art is the mass productions of ideas about society, that a normal everyday person is able to see, recognize, and feel that they can understand. Pop art usually reflects 60s culture and is created by using materials such as "acrylic paints, plastics, photographs, fluorescent and Metallic colors which help to create "bold, flat colors and hard edge compositions" which are usually found in things such as billboard, murals, and magazines.
Pop Art (1950-1960s) This movement was marked by a fascination with popular culture reflecting the affluence in post-war society. It was most prominent in American art but soon spread to Britain. In celebrating everyday objects such as soup cans, washing powder, comic strips and soda pop bottles, the movement turned the commonplace into icons http://www.artmovements.co.uk/popart.htm
Paper on Racism
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||
Racism
Chelsea Tinnin, Daniela Garcia, Magda Bochas , Jennifer Oh, Arlene Cruz IDS 3123 Professor Jackson November 29, 2010 GROUP 7
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Racism Racism has been an ongoing problem found in our country for many centuries. Even now our nation still faces many complications on the subject of racism. So here is the main question: Can we, as a nation, put an end to racism? To find the most effective way to answer this question we must look at several different areas that racism seems to have the most impact. Three areas that racism has been found are the classroom/schools, work places, and the home (or internally).During the 20th century racism has been a large problem in classrooms and schools. There were many events that show racism occurring. One example found is the story of James Meredith’s registration into the college, Ole Miss. “He sent his first letter of application to Ole Miss on January 21, 1961 ... Meredith knew that Ole Miss would reject his application once the registrar realized he was black,” (15). This example demonstrates the use of racism because this college was readily going to reject his application whether he was actually capable of doing the school work or not just on the basis of his skin color. There are also examples that dealt with education that occurred to try and fix this problem. One example found is the court case of Brown v. Board of Education. This court case “was not simply about children and education. The laws and policies struck down by this court decision were products of the human tendencies to prejudge, discriminate against, and stereotype other people by their ethnic, religious, physical, or cultural characteristics.” This court case illustrates how much people believe that racism had gotten out of hand. Racism had gotten to the point that African Americans had to stand up for their rights against the prejudice, discrimination and stereotypes other people put on them for their differences in ethics, religions, or any other morals or beliefs. When we send our children off to school we hope and pray that they will not be picked on and teased. Unfortunately, racism is still alive today. Kids are being judged by the clothes they wear to school, the way they talk, the color of their skin, etc. Asians are seen as the “smart kids”, and the minorities are seen as the kids who “just don’t care”. White people are seen as middle class and stuck up. In a video called, “A Class Divided” the teacher decided to help her elementary school students become aware of racism and how much it affects people around the world. She told the students that the children with blue eyes are superior to the children with brown eyes. She let the blue eyed kids have extra time at recess and gave them more opportunities than the brown eyed kids. The kids stepped right in the roles as the superior and inferior groups. The blue eyed kids looked to the brown eyed kids as if they were better than the others. The inferior kid’s grades began to drop. The end of the movie showed that the kids were put into a scenario that we see every day. People are made fun of because they are different due to something they cannot control. We can’t control the color of our skin and kids are getting bullied at school just because someone doesn’t like their skin complexion.
Another place that racism is found is in the workplace. Everywhere we go we find examples of hegemony whether it is at school, home, or the workplace. An example of hegemony in the work place is that the workers with the higher “titles” seem to feel as if they are the dominant group. It has been shown that “in the early 2000s, Texaco had to pay $176 million in a highly publicized race-discrimination lawsuit because of comments made about blacks at a corporate meeting.(Texaco article)” This was kind of a turning point when they realized that racism was still something that was common and had not disappeared. A survey showed that 94% of all employees in corporate seniors ranks are white males, when they only make up about 38% of the workforce. They have courses, just like we do, to be educated about cultural diversity. Just like we are taught in our classes that we should not be racist they are taught the same thing. Most of them claim that they have “changed” when in reality they just have learned to keep their opinions to themselves to stay out of trouble. I have been working at a pediatrician's office for the past three years and I have seen racism. We used to have a Hispanic co worker and the area that I work in is full of upper class white people that are very snooty. So when they would walk up to the window to check out it was obvious that they did not want to even talk to her. It was very sad that she had to work in an environment where people judged her based on her appearance. She might live in a huge house and have more money than all of those people in that office but they will still write her off as a “Mexican” that has no money and does not deserve to be talked to. Another example of racism in the workplace would be the issue of an African American president. Although he has all of the qualifications of any candidate running for president he is still seen as “incompetent” because of his race. Everyone thinks that a “black man” should not be president when the only proof they think they have is the color of his skin. He has the same right to be president as any White, Asian, or Hispanic man. When we vote we tend to vote based on whether someone is the same color of skin or if they look like us. What is most important is what they can do for our country. The sad thing is that racism gets in the way of that. Before the election, this article was written about what people think of Obama and what they predicted of the election. In the article, Racist Attacks on Obama Growing More Heated by Mark Potok, he writes “On traditional white supremacist and neo-Nazi sites (for instance,here and here), there are lengthy discussion threads about what would happen if Obama were elected president. Dozens of those posts are derogatory and employ all kinds of racist slurs. Others speculate that such an Obama victory would kick off a race war between whites and blacks. And some even raise the possibility that he could be assassinated. But talk like that is rare and extremely careful — probable evidence that the “white nationalists” who inhabit these sites are deeply concerned that their comments are being monitored by law enforcement for any criminal threat relating to the presidential race. In fact, Obama reportedly received federal Secret Service protection unusually early in the campaign season because of concerns about a racially motivated attack.” (Potok)This goes to show that racism is in every workplace even when it comes to being president. Unfortunately, it will never just go away.
Another form of racism can be found in a person’s home. Racism can affect individuals personally to point when harm undertakes the individuals’ actions. The destruction can be towards somebody who had not part in the negative criticism such as the children or spouse of the victim. Majority of acts of racism tend to occur outside of the home, but there are instances when they can occur in the home. Many individuals can relate to racism whether it is from peers or outsiders such as people on the street or people that they work with. There are two different types of oppression that can help an individual to bring racism home.
The first is interpersonal oppression which is unjust treatment that is found on personal prejudice that occurs between individuals. If an individual is treated unjust outside of their home, they may bring their frustration home which in turn will affect the family life. The other form is internalized oppression which is when individuals in an oppressed group oppress the members and their own group because of prejudice that they feel within themselves. Some great examples can be found in Richard Wright’s article, The Ethics of Living Jim Crow. In this reading, Wright talks about how he was taught certain lessons about the white privileges and “how to live as a Negro” (23). Throughout his paper it seems as though whenever Wright returns home to talk to his friends and family about situations that had occurred, many of the responses that he encounters were examples of internalized oppression. For example, after watching an African American woman get beat up and taken away by the police, Wright received a shocking response. This response came when talking with fellow Negro porters. They said that she was lucky that they only did that to her and that she didn’t get raped afterwards. Another example is about an encounter that Wright had with a couple of his co-workers, Pease and Morrie, where Wright was harassed by the two men claiming that Wright had incorrectly addressed one of the men. Upon arriving home and talking with the folks at home the response he received from them was that he was a fool. Along with this was that he should stayed in his place if he wanted to keep working with white folks. The folks back at home are using internalized oppression because although they know that the white folk were in the wrong they have internalized that they are inferior and that they must work to please the white folk. Even when they are in their own homes these African American folks were afraid to speak out and could only critique and tell Wright what he had done wrong which led to him becoming unemployed again. Lastly the racism at home can also be a production of the individuals’ upbringing or history of the generations before. There are many morals and values that are taught to each person while growing up. A way of living and understanding of oneself is what they have learned from their parents or any experiences that one has been through. Racism is basically taught or even imitated from ones surroundings. A case in point of child abuse is now taking a further and deeper step. Besides the emotional and physical sake of child abuse, the manipulation for ones race or culture is now considered child abuse. For example, in June 2008, a couple from the region of Manitoba, Canada lost custody of their seven year old girl and two year old boy when government officials discovered the couple had instructed them with Nazi beliefs. After the court overruled the parents and continued with the decision of the government authorities, the children were removed from them, and placed in the care of the local Child and Family Services. Soon after the discovery, parents were examined after a Nazi sign on the arm and leg of their daughter appeared. After thoroughly investigating, the court discovered the stepfather had previously participated in hate crimes against minorities in 2005. The children’s stepfather identified himself as a skinhead, and the mother a white separatist. Consequently, the two parents were labeled as "unfit" for parenting. “In a world that has operated off centuries of oppression and prejudice, it will be difficult to dismantle racism or sexism and all groups, such as neo-Nazis, who perpetuate hate, especially since governmental and/or institutional systems support prejudices. Yet, to take away children from parents involved in neo-Nazi and other hate groups could be the beginning to the end of the biggest mental illness that exists: racism”(Ali, 2009).
Folk, Pop, and Mass culture is used a great amount to portray 20th century racism. For a person to be considered racist depends greatly on their attitudes, values, goals, and beliefs. But also what a person believes and thinks can be greatly influenced by who they hear information from such as their family, friends, and especially from the media. When an individual grows up in an environment where their parents may dislike a certain race they may receive subtle hints from their parents such as a comment about a person or a specific toy. In order to feel that a person belongs more they may take on characteristics and ideals that their group of friends may have. Also the media is an enormous influence. On TV people are able to watch reality shows, all sorts of cartoons, food networks, music shows, etc that show an individual what are the most popular ‘ins’ of today. But what they also do is stereotype and encourage racism in our society.
When people watch reality shows they are encouraged and told through action that it is ok to stereotype people for how they act, their race, gender, class, ideals, and morals. For example in the show Keeping up with the Kardashians, girls that watch this show are told that they need to dress a certain way and act a certain way. This show also teaches young girls how to act and respond to their parents. The way that the girls in the show talk to their parents, although they are grown up and live in their own homes, is disrespectful. This show also shows that in order to live a happy life that a person much have a lot of money. The lavish way that these girls lives many be acceptable for them but for many of the young children and parents that have seen this show it makes it hard for them to except their own lives when they may regret and be upset for the fact that they can not live as lavishly as the Kardishian’s can. There are many cooking networks that contains a variety of families and individuals that have their own cooking shows. Although I absolutely love the show cooking with the Neely’s or Down Home with the Neely’s I believe that this show can be seen as stereotyping African Americans. The foods and the way a culture styles food is a large area that people are able to stereotype individuals. While African Americans are stereotyped to love fried chicken and koolaid, Asians are stereotyped to love only kimchi and rice, and hispanics are thought to love only rice and beans. Although these races may enjoy all these foods, many do not enjoy them on a regular basis and are only stereotyped by others. This show may be a great and educational show but it contributes to everyday stereotypes occasionally by the way this couple talks, and especially through the foods that they cook. Racism is a great example of Hegemony. Hegemony is the way that the dominant group can maintain power and control over subordinate groups. In the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, “Racism is a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.” Racism is used by individuals in a group so that they may be able to keep down other individuals that they believe are inferior to them. In conclusion, racism is a subject that is very sensitive to many people. It has been present in our world for many centuries and even to this day. But as we can see through the examples stated above, there is not much that we can do for our nation to end racism. As long as we as individuals are free to our own opinion, there will always be some sort of racism.
References
Ali, Aisha. (2009). Ending racism: should children be taken away from racist parents?. 1. Retrieved from http://www.examiner.com/dc-in-washington-dc/ending-racism-should-children-be-taken-away-from-racist-parents?render=print
Brown Foundation. (2010). Brown v. Board of Education About The Case. Retrieved from http:/
brownvboard.org/summary/ Jane Elliot (Creator). 707BIGGLES747 (Poster) (2010, October 26). Jane Elliot's A Class Divided [Video] Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN-NAjS1p6A. M. Potok. (2008, February 20). Racist Attacks on Obama Growing More Heated. [quote from blog]. Retrieved from http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2008/02/20/racist-attacks-on-obama- growing-more-heated/ (2010, November 12). Racism. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster online. Retrieved from http://www.merriam- webster.com
dictionary/racism
Racism In The Workplace (2009). The Truth about Racism in the Workplace. Retrieved from http://www.knowledgegalaxy.net/racism_in_the_workplace/racism_in_the_workplace.html Upchurch, T.A. (n.d.). Race Relations in the United States, 1960-1980. Available from http:/www.netlibrary.com.libweb.lib.utsa.edu/Reader/ Wright, R. (1966). The Ethics of Living Jim Crow. In Rothenberg, P. S. (Eds.), Race, Class, and Gender in The United States (23-32). The United States: Worth Publishers. Upchurch, T.A. (n.d.). Race Relations in the United States, 1960-1980. Available from ‘ http:/www.netlibrary.com.libweb.lib.utsa.edu/Reader/
Hegemony is the way that the dominant group can maintain power and control over subordinate groups. Hegemony is also known as a general agreement. This agreement is that there is always an ongoing struggle for the dominant class to win support so that they may maintain dominance. The way to win this support is "through strategies of moral and intellectual leadership," (50). The idea through culture hegemony is for the higher class to get the lower classes to agree by getting them consent and accept their values. Hegemony is greatly represented through dominant idelogies which are usually used in mass media. some examples would include women are the better parent, the police are always right, and the poor are lazy and deserve their hardships.
Jackson, G. A. (2010). Popular Culture and Hegemony [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from Https:bb.utsa.edu/webct/urw/lc5122011.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebet
http://papergangsta101.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/hegemony_logo.jpg
Hegemony is the political, economic, ideological or cultural power exerted by a dominant group over other groups regardless of the explicit consent of the latter,
examples include:
Churches and media organizations that constantly distribute information to the public.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hegemony
Great video from youtube, but the audio is unavailable due to copyright reasons
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp-OffypvpE
"Hegemony" was most likely derived from the Greek egemonia, whose root is egemon, meaning "leader, ruler, often in the sense of a state other than his own" (Williams, Keywords 144). Since the 19th century "hegemony" commonly has been used to indicate "political predominance, usually of one state over another" (Williams, Keywords 144). According to Perry Anderson's "The Antinomies of Antonio Gramsci," "hegemony" acquired a specifically Marxist character in its use (as "gegemoniya") This sense of hegemony, as articulated by Lenin, referred to the leadership exercised by the proletariat over the other exploited classes:" As the only consistently revolutionary class of contemporary society, [the proletariat] must be the leader in the struggle of the whole people for a fully democratic revolution, in the struggle of all the working and exploited people against the oppressors and exploiters" (qtd. in Anderson 17).
"Hegemony." Emory University---English Department "Where Courageous Inquiry Leads"Web. 07 Oct. 2010. <http://www.english.emory.edu/Bahri/hegemony.html>.
Image that reflects the idea of Hegemony:
Pop Art
Pop art is an artistic movement that is a rejection of abstract expressionism and aims to return to figurative art while incorporating themes and techniques from mass culture.
http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Pop_artPop art is an art movement that emerged in the mid 1950s in Britain and in the late 1950s in the United States Pop art challenged tradition by asserting that an artist's use of the mass-produced visual commodities of popular culture is contiguous with the perspective of Pop of fine art removes the material from its context and isolates the object, or combines it with other objects, for contemplation. The concept of pop art refers not as much to the art itself as to the attitudes that led to it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_art
pop art is the mass productions of ideas about society, that a normal everyday person is able to see, recognize, and feel that they can understand. Pop art usually reflects 60s culture and is created by using materials such as "acrylic paints, plastics, photographs, fluorescent and Metallic colors which help to create "bold, flat colors and hard edge compositions" which are usually found in things such as billboard, murals, and magazines.
Jackson, G.A. Pop Art// [powerpoint presentation]. Retrieved from Lecture Notes Online Web site: https://bb.utsa.edu/webct/urw/lc5122011.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct
Video of Pop Art:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cEOHD1lgOc&feature=BF&list=QL&index=1
Key Player: Andy Warhol
Pop Art (1950-1960s) This movement was marked by a fascination with popular culture reflecting the affluence in post-war society. It was most prominent in American art but soon spread to Britain. In celebrating everyday objects such as soup cans, washing powder, comic strips and soda pop bottles, the movement turned the commonplace into icons
http://www.artmovements.co.uk/popart.htm
Paper on Racism
**||
||
IDS 3123
Professor Jackson
November 29, 2010
GROUP 7
Racism
Racism has been an ongoing problem found in our country for many centuries. Even now our nation still faces many complications on the subject of racism. So here is the main question: Can we, as a nation, put an end to racism?
To find the most effective way to answer this question we must look at several different areas that racism seems to have the most impact. Three areas that racism has been found are the classroom/schools, work places, and the home (or internally). During the 20th century racism has been a large problem in classrooms and schools. There were many events that show racism occurring. One example found is the story of James Meredith’s registration into the college, Ole Miss. “He sent his first letter of application to Ole Miss on January 21, 1961 ... Meredith knew that Ole Miss would reject his application once the registrar realized he was black,” (15). This example demonstrates the use of racism because this college was readily going to reject his application whether he was actually capable of doing the school work or not just on the basis of his skin color. There are also examples that dealt with education that occurred to try and fix this problem. One example found is the court case of Brown v. Board of Education. This court case “was not simply about children and education. The laws and policies struck down by this court decision were products of the human tendencies to prejudge, discriminate against, and stereotype other people by their ethnic, religious, physical, or cultural characteristics.” This court case illustrates how much people believe that racism had gotten out of hand. Racism had gotten to the point that African Americans had to stand up for their rights against the prejudice, discrimination and stereotypes other people put on them for their differences in ethics, religions, or any other morals or beliefs.
When we send our children off to school we hope and pray that they will not be picked on and teased. Unfortunately, racism is still alive today. Kids are being judged by the clothes they wear to school, the way they talk, the color of their skin, etc. Asians are seen as the “smart kids”, and the minorities are seen as the kids who “just don’t care”. White people are seen as middle class and stuck up. In a video called, “A Class Divided” the teacher decided to help her elementary school students become aware of racism and how much it affects people around the world. She told the students that the children with blue eyes are superior to the children with brown eyes. She let the blue eyed kids have extra time at recess and gave them more opportunities than the brown eyed kids. The kids stepped right in the roles as the superior and inferior groups. The blue eyed kids looked to the brown eyed kids as if they were better than the others. The inferior kid’s grades began to drop. The end of the movie showed that the kids were put into a scenario that we see every day. People are made fun of because they are different due to something they cannot control. We can’t control the color of our skin and kids are getting bullied at school just because someone doesn’t like their skin complexion.
Another place that racism is found is in the workplace. Everywhere we go we find examples of hegemony whether it is at school, home, or the workplace. An example of hegemony in the work place is that the workers with the higher “titles” seem to feel as if they are the dominant group. It has been shown that “in the early 2000s, Texaco had to pay $176 million in a highly publicized race-discrimination lawsuit because of comments made about blacks at a corporate meeting.(Texaco article)” This was kind of a turning point when they realized that racism was still something that was common and had not disappeared. A survey showed that 94% of all employees in corporate seniors ranks are white males, when they only make up about 38% of the workforce. They have courses, just like we do, to be educated about cultural diversity. Just like we are taught in our classes that we should not be racist they are taught the same thing. Most of them claim that they have “changed” when in reality they just have learned to keep their opinions to themselves to stay out of trouble. I have been working at a pediatrician's office for the past three years and I have seen racism. We used to have a Hispanic co worker and the area that I work in is full of upper class white people that are very snooty. So when they would walk up to the window to check out it was obvious that they did not want to even talk to her. It was very sad that she had to work in an environment where people judged her based on her appearance. She might live in a huge house and have more money than all of those people in that office but they will still write her off as a “Mexican” that has no money and does not deserve to be talked to. Another example of racism in the workplace would be the issue of an African American president. Although he has all of the qualifications of any candidate running for president he is still seen as “incompetent” because of his race. Everyone thinks that a “black man” should not be president when the only proof they think they have is the color of his skin. He has the same right to be president as any White, Asian, or Hispanic man. When we vote we tend to vote based on whether someone is the same color of skin or if they look like us. What is most important is what they can do for our country. The sad thing is that racism gets in the way of that. Before the election, this article was written about what people think of Obama and what they predicted of the election. In the article, Racist Attacks on Obama Growing More Heated by Mark Potok, he writes
“On traditional white supremacist and neo-Nazi sites (for instance,here and here), there are lengthy discussion threads about what would happen if Obama were elected president. Dozens of those posts are derogatory and employ all kinds of racist slurs. Others speculate that such an Obama victory would kick off a race war between whites and blacks. And some even raise the possibility that he could be assassinated. But talk like that is rare and extremely careful — probable evidence that the “white nationalists” who inhabit these sites are deeply concerned that their comments are being monitored by law enforcement for any criminal threat relating to the presidential race. In fact, Obama reportedly received federal Secret Service protection unusually early in the campaign season because of concerns about a racially motivated attack.” (Potok) This goes to show that racism is in every workplace even when it comes to being president. Unfortunately, it will never just go away.
Another form of racism can be found in a person’s home. Racism can affect individuals personally to point when harm undertakes the individuals’ actions. The destruction can be towards somebody who had not part in the negative criticism such as the children or spouse of the victim. Majority of acts of racism tend to occur outside of the home, but there are instances when they can occur in the home. Many individuals can relate to racism whether it is from peers or outsiders such as people on the street or people that they work with. There are two different types of oppression that can help an individual to bring racism home.
The first is interpersonal oppression which is unjust treatment that is found on personal prejudice that occurs between individuals. If an individual is treated unjust outside of their home, they may bring their frustration home which in turn will affect the family life. The other form is internalized oppression which is when individuals in an oppressed group oppress the members and their own group because of prejudice that they feel within themselves. Some great examples can be found in Richard Wright’s article, The Ethics of Living Jim Crow. In this reading, Wright talks about how he was taught certain lessons about the white privileges and “how to live as a Negro” (23). Throughout his paper it seems as though whenever Wright returns home to talk to his friends and family about situations that had occurred, many of the responses that he encounters were examples of internalized oppression. For example, after watching an African American woman get beat up and taken away by the police, Wright received a shocking response. This response came when talking with fellow Negro porters. They said that she was lucky that they only did that to her and that she didn’t get raped afterwards.
Another example is about an encounter that Wright had with a couple of his co-workers, Pease and Morrie, where Wright was harassed by the two men claiming that Wright had incorrectly addressed one of the men. Upon arriving home and talking with the folks at home the response he received from them was that he was a fool. Along with this was that he should stayed in his place if he wanted to keep working with white folks. The folks back at home are using internalized oppression because although they know that the white folk were in the wrong they have internalized that they are inferior and that they must work to please the white folk. Even when they are in their own homes these African American folks were afraid to speak out and could only critique and tell Wright what he had done wrong which led to him becoming unemployed again.
Lastly the racism at home can also be a production of the individuals’ upbringing or history of the generations before. There are many morals and values that are taught to each person while growing up. A way of living and understanding of oneself is what they have learned from their parents or any experiences that one has been through. Racism is basically taught or even imitated from ones surroundings. A case in point of child abuse is now taking a further and deeper step. Besides the emotional and physical sake of child abuse, the manipulation for ones race or culture is now considered child abuse. For example, in June 2008, a couple from the region of Manitoba, Canada lost custody of their seven year old girl and two year old boy when government officials discovered the couple had instructed them with Nazi beliefs. After the court overruled the parents and continued with the decision of the government authorities, the children were removed from them, and placed in the care of the local Child and Family Services. Soon after the discovery, parents were examined after a Nazi sign on the arm and leg of their daughter appeared.
After thoroughly investigating, the court discovered the stepfather had previously participated in hate crimes against minorities in 2005. The children’s stepfather identified himself as a skinhead, and the mother a white separatist. Consequently, the two parents were labeled as "unfit" for parenting.
“In a world that has operated off centuries of oppression and prejudice, it will be difficult to dismantle racism or sexism and all groups, such as neo-Nazis, who perpetuate hate, especially since governmental and/or institutional systems support prejudices. Yet, to take away children from parents involved in neo-Nazi and other hate groups could be the beginning to the end of the biggest mental illness that exists: racism”(Ali, 2009).
Folk, Pop, and Mass culture is used a great amount to portray 20th century racism. For a person to be considered racist depends greatly on their attitudes, values, goals, and beliefs. But also what a person believes and thinks can be greatly influenced by who they hear information from such as their family, friends, and especially from the media. When an individual grows up in an environment where their parents may dislike a certain race they may receive subtle hints from their parents such as a comment about a person or a specific toy. In order to feel that a person belongs more they may take on characteristics and ideals that their group of friends may have. Also the media is an enormous influence. On TV people are able to watch reality shows, all sorts of cartoons, food networks, music shows, etc that show an individual what are the most popular ‘ins’ of today. But what they also do is stereotype and encourage racism in our society.
When people watch reality shows they are encouraged and told through action that it is ok to stereotype people for how they act, their race, gender, class, ideals, and morals. For example in the show Keeping up with the Kardashians, girls that watch this show are told that they need to dress a certain way and act a certain way. This show also teaches young girls how to act and respond to their parents. The way that the girls in the show talk to their parents, although they are grown up and live in their own homes, is disrespectful. This show also shows that in order to live a happy life that a person much have a lot of money. The lavish way that these girls lives many be acceptable for them but for many of the young children and parents that have seen this show it makes it hard for them to except their own lives when they may regret and be upset for the fact that they can not live as lavishly as the Kardishian’s can.
There are many cooking networks that contains a variety of families and individuals that have their own cooking shows. Although I absolutely love the show cooking with the Neely’s or Down Home with the Neely’s I believe that this show can be seen as stereotyping African Americans. The foods and the way a culture styles food is a large area that people are able to stereotype individuals. While African Americans are stereotyped to love fried chicken and koolaid, Asians are stereotyped to love only kimchi and rice, and hispanics are thought to love only rice and beans. Although these races may enjoy all these foods, many do not enjoy them on a regular basis and are only stereotyped by others. This show may be a great and educational show but it contributes to everyday stereotypes occasionally by the way this couple talks, and especially through the foods that they cook.
Racism is a great example of Hegemony. Hegemony is the way that the dominant group can maintain power and control over subordinate groups. In the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, “Racism is a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.” Racism is used by individuals in a group so that they may be able to keep down other individuals that they believe are inferior to them. In conclusion, racism is a subject that is very sensitive to many people. It has been present in our world for many centuries and even to this day. But as we can see through the examples stated above, there is not much that we can do for our nation to end racism. As long as we as individuals are free to our own opinion, there will always be some sort of racism.
References
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